Undergarment



May 23, 1944.

A. J. HARWOOD r UNDERGA-RMENT Filed Nov. 25. 194:

Ma /021K325 ATTORNEYS Patented May 23, 1944 UN DERGARMENT Asa J.Harwood, Richmond, ImL, assignor to The Atlas Underwear Company, Piqua,Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application November 25, 1943, Serial No.511,689

11 Claims.

This invention relates to nether garments for men and is concerned moreparticularly with a novel garmentof .the briefs type which is attractivein appearance and may be worn with greater comfort than prior similargarments. The new garment, which is preferably made of knitted materialand fits the body snugly, is so constructed that access to the interiorof the garment, while the garment is being worn, may be readily had bydisplacement of certain of the parts thereof. Those parts, whenreleased, return to their normal positions, in which they close theaccess opening, and they are held in those positions by stresses imposedupon them by the stretching of the garment as it conforms to thecontours of the body of the wearer.

The new garment includes a back section and a pair of front sectionswhich have inner edges which cross between their upper and lower ends todefine a space between them below the point of crossing and to provideoverlapping portions of the front sections above that point. The frontand back sections are connected by an insert which extends through thecrotch and is made of two plies of material. The plies of the insert areconnected to the respective front sections in such manner that the inneredges of the front sections and portions of.the plies secured theretomay be separated to afford access to the interior of the garment througha space of substantial area. Reinforcementsv extend along the inner edgeof each front section above the point of crossing of thoseedges andcontinue along portions of the edges of the respective plies of thecrotch section. The garment is provided with a waistband connected tothe upper edges of the front and back sections and to the upper ends ofthe reinforcements. The reinforcements are substantially inextensiblelengthwise and when the garment is being worn, the reinforcements aresubjected to longitudinal pulling forces which tend to hold thedisplaceable parts of the garment in position to close the accessopening againstgaping.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to theaccompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a view of one form of the newgarment in front elevation;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 :is a front view of a modified construction; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary front view showing a modifiedtype of crotchinsert.

The garment illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawing comprises a backsection II] and two front sections II, and these sections are preferablymade of knitted material having vertical wales, so that the garment isextensible circumferentially. The side edges of the back section areconnected to outer side edges I3 of the respective front sections, andif desired, the back and front opposite sides of a horionztal lineextending between the crotch and the top of the garment. In theconstruction illustrated, the inner edges are inclined to make themgenerally of V'- shape and, by reason of their crossing, their lowerends are separated to provide a generally triangular space between them.At the upper ends, the edges define overlapping areas l6, l1,

' which are of generally triangular shape.

The lower edge of the back section is out along curved lines I8 ateither side of the central portion IE to provide portions of th edges ofleg openings, which are also defined in part by curved lower edges 20 onthe front sections. A crotch insert 2! is connected to the centralportion if! of the lower edge of the back section and this insert isformed of two plies of material. Preferably at least one of the plies ismade of a material extensible in at least one dimension and, in theconstruction shown in Fi 1, the plies are made of knitted materialhaving vertical wales.

so that both plies are extensible transversely.

The crotch insert extends into and fills the space between the separatedlower ends of the inner edges l4,- [5 of the front sections. The sideedges 22 of the two plies of the insert are secured together bystitching from the end of the insert attached to the central portion IQof the lower edge of the back section up to the lower ends 23 of edges Il, 15. The connected lateral edges of the plies define the remainingportions of the edges of the leg openings and these openings arefinished by a suitable hem 24.

Above the lower ends 23 or the inner edges of the front sections, thecrotch insert is formed with convergent edges corresponding to the lowerportions of the inner edges of the front sections below the point ofcrossing of those inner edges. In the space above the points 23, theplies of the crotch section are free of one another and one ply isconnected along one of its convergent edges to one of the front sectionsand has its other convergent edge free. The other ply is similarlyconnected along its opposite convergent edge to the other front sectionand has its other convergent edge free. In theconstruction illustrated,one convergent edge of the outer ply of the crotch insert is connectedto front section II along the seam 25 and the other convergent edge 26of this ply is free. The inner ply has one convergent edge connected tofront section l2 along seam 21 lying beneath seam 26- and the otherconvergent edge 28 of the inner ply, which lies beneath seam 25, isfree.

In the construction shown in Fig. 1, the garment is provided with anendless waistband 29 of elastic material, which is connected to the topedges of the front and back sections. Extending from the leg openings tothe waistband are reinforcing members and each member extends along theupper portion of the inner edge of one front section above the pointofcrossing of the inner edges and along a free edge of one of the plies ofthe crotch insert. Thus, reinforcement 30a extends along the free edgeof front section 12 above the point of crossing and then extends alongthe free edge 28 of the inner ply of the crotch insert. Reinforcement30b extends along the upper portion of the inner .edge of front sectionII above the point of crossing and then extends along the free edge 26of the outer ply of thecrotch insert. The reinforcing members are madeof a material substantially inextensible lengthwise and may be formed ofknitted material cut so that its wales extend lengthwise of thereinforcements.

With the construction illustrated, the stretching of the garment when itis worn causes pulls on the reinforcements 30a, 30b which tend to holdthe crossed portions of the inner edges of the front sections in tightengagement. When access to the interior f the garment is desired, theseedges may be ulled apart horizontally and, as each edge is thus pulled,the free inclined edges of the plies of the crotch insert are likewiseseparated. This produces an access opening of substantial area whichextends upward from the points 23 and may continue almost to thewaistband. When the displaced edges of the front section and plies ofthe crotch insert are released, the forces applied to thereinforcemen'ts tend to restore the parts to their initial positionsshown in Fig. 1, in which the parts of the garment close the frontthereof, and maintain those parts against gaping while the garment'isbeing worn.

The garment shown in Fig. 3 is generally similar to that shown in Fig. 1but differs therefrom in two respects. The crotch insertis made of twoplies of knitted material 3| formed with horizontal wales, so that theplies are extensible ing devices, such as buttons 33 and buttonholes 34for securing the ends together.

In the garment shown in Fig. 4, the crotch insert is formed of two pliesof knitted material 35 having horizontal wales and having elasticthreads 36 laid in across the wales and extending vertically in thegarment. insert has greater resilience than thosepresent in the garmentsof Figs. 1 and 3 and the elastic threads therein tend to hold the frontof the garment more snugly against the body of the wearer.

' I claim:

1. A nether garment which comprises a back section, a pairof frontsections connected along their outer side edges to the adjacent sideedges of the back section, the inner edges of the front sections beingspaced apart at their lower ends and crossing between their upper andlower ends to form overlapping portions of the sections above the pointof crossing of said edges, a two ply crotch insert having bothpliesconnected to the central portion of the lower end of the backsection, said insert extending into-the space between the lower ends ofthe inner edges of the front sections and having one ply connected toone of said edges only and the other ply to the other of said edgesonly, said plies and overlapping portions being separable to affordaccess to the interior of the garment, and awaistband connected to theupper edges of the front and back sections.

2. A nether garment which comprises a back section, a pair of frontsections connected along their outer side edges to the adjacent sideedges of the back section, the inner edges of the front sections beingspaced apart at their lower ends and crossing between their upper andlower ends to form overlapping portions. of the sections above the pointof crossing of said edges, a two ply crotch insert connected to thecentral portion of the back section'and extending into the space betweenthe lower ends of the inner edges of the front sections, the adjacentlateral edges of the portion of the insert lying outside the spacebetween said inner edges of the front sections being secured together,and each ply havvertically of the garment rather than horizoning an edgesecured to the adjacent inner edge only of one of the front sections andanother edge free, and a waistband connected to the upper edges of thefront and back sections.

3. A nether garment which comprises a back section, a pair of frontsections connected along their outer side edges to the adjacent sideedges of the back section, the inner edges of the front sections beingspaced apart at their lower ends and crossing between their upper andlower ends to form overlapping portions of the sections above the pointof crossing of said edges, a two ply crotch insert connected to thecentral portion of the back section and extending forwardly and,"

upwardly therefrom into the space between the lower ends of the inneredges of the front secof the back section, the inner edges of the frontsections being spaced apart at their lower ends and crossing betweentheir upper and lower ends to form overlapping portions of the sectionsabove the point of crossing of said edges, a two ply crotch insertconnected to the central portion of the lower end of the back section,said insert being made of fabric and the fabric in at least one plybeing stretchable in at least one dimension, the insert having an endportion filling the space between the lower portions of the inner edgesof the front sections below said point of crossing, said end portion ofeach ply having one edge connected to the lower portion of one of saidinner edges and another edge free, the free edges of the end portions ofthe plies lying opposite to one another, and a waistband connected tothe top edges of the front and back sections.

5. A nether garment which comprises a back section, a pair of frontsections connected along their outer edges to the adjacent side edges ofthe back section, the inner edges of the front sections being generallyinclined to one another and crossing between their ends to formoverlapping portions of the sections above the point of crossing and aspace between the lower portions of said edges below the point ofcrossing, a two ply crotch insert attached at its rear end to thecentral portion of the lower end of the back section and filling saidspace, the lateral edges of the portions of the plies outside said spacebeing connected together and the portion of said plies within said spacebeing free of one another and having convergent edges, each of saidplies having one of its convergent edges connected to the lower portionof one of said inner edges and its other convergent edge free, and awaistband connected to the upper edges of the front and back sections.

6. A nether garment which comprises a back section, a pair of frontsectionsconnected along their outer side edges to the adjacent sideedges of the back section, the inner edges of the front sections beingspaced apart at their lower ends and crossing between their upper andlower ends to form overlapping portions of the sections above the pointof crossing of said edges,-a two ply crotch insert having both pliesconnected to the central portion of the lower end of the back section,said insert extending into the space between the lower ends of the inneredges of the front sections and having one ply connected to one of saidedges only and the other ply to the other of said edges only, said pliesand overlapping portions being separable to afford access to theinterior of the garment, and a waistband connected to the upper edges ofth front and back sections, the end portions of the waistbandoverlapping and terminating at the upper ends of the inner edges of thefront sections.

7. A bifurcated nether garment which comprises a back section, and apair of front sections connected along their outer side edges to theadjacent side edges of the back section, the inner side edges of thefront section being free for at least a substantial part of theirlength, the portions of the front sections adjacent the free portions ofthe inner edges alternately overlying one another outwardly of thegarment at opposite sides of a vertical median line extending from thetop of the garment to the center of the crotch.

8. A bifurcated nether garment which comprises a back section, and apair of front sections connected along their outer edges to the adjacentside edges of the back section, a portion of the inner edge of eachfront section being generally of V-shape, the apices of the V- shapedportions being adjacent, one front section overlying the other frontsection outwardly of the garment above said apices and being overlainoutwardly of the garment by said other front section below said apices.

9. A bifurcated nether garment which comprises a back section, and apair of front sections connected along their outer edges to the adjacentside edges of the back section, at least a portion of the inner edge ofeach front section being generally of V-shape, tie apices of theV-shaped portions being, horizontally, substantially opposite oneanother, one front section overlying the other front section outwardlyof the garment above saidapices and being overlain by said other frontsection below said apices.

10. A bifurcated nether garment which comprises a back section, a pairof front sections connected along their outer side edges to the adjacentside edges of the back section, and a crotch insert connected to thelower end of the back section and to the lower end of at least one ofsaid front sections, the edges of the back section, the front sectionsand the crotch insert being shaped to provide leg openings at the sideof the garment, the lower end of the inner edge of each front sectionbeing connected adjacent the leg openin at the opposite side of thegarment, the inner edges of the front sections being free for at least asubstantial part of their length, portions of the front section adjacentthe free portions of the inneredges thereof alternately overlying oneanother outwardly of the garment at opposite sides of a verticalmedianline extending from the top of the garment to the center of the crotch.

11. A bifurcated nether garment which comprises a back section, a pairof front sections connected along their outer side edges to the adjacentside edges of the back section, and a crotch insert connected to thelower end of the back section and to the lower end of at least one ofsaid front sections, the edgesof the back section, the front sectionsand the crotch insert being shaped to provide leg openings at the sidesof the garment, the lower end of the inner edge of each front sectionbeing connected adjacent the leg opening at the opposite side of theearment, the inner edges of the front sections being free for at least asubstantial part of their length, at least a portion of the free part ofthe inner edge of each front section being gen- ASA J. HARWOOD.

